


Someone New

by areyoukiddingme



Category: Black Books
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 21:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7330540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/areyoukiddingme/pseuds/areyoukiddingme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three years. Three years since he had dated someone. It was about time he found someone new.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Someone New

Black Books stood in a quiet spot down a secluded little side street in the centre of London. It wasn’t heavily advertised and there were no street signs so it was a surprise that anyone found it at all, but somehow they did and the business, by some miracle, managed to stay afloat. Jamie came across it by chance on her way to meet someone, oblivious as she walked past for the first time but doubled back, accidentally pushing past an old lady in the process. She’d been looking for a cheap book to rip up for a project and this place definitely looked shabby enough to have a few deals.

 It was dark inside and the shop sign was flipped to ‘closed’ but when she peered inside there were a few people milling about and a shady figure sitting at what seemed to be the till. She pushed at the door, hearing it click open and she silently stepped into the shop. It was just as she anticipated; old and dusty. She peered at a couple of titles. Some tattered books on Freud and other psychology-sounding titles. She was hoping to find something with a pretty cover but as she roved from shelf to shelf she didn’t come across anything even remotely like what she was searching for. She had been reluctant about talking to the person sitting at the desk as book fanatics tended to find it sacrilege when you even bent the _pages_ of a book but as she found nothing she decided that she would have to ask someone. She turned, looking to the man at the till but hesitated before saying anything. He had his feet up against the desk and his nose was buried in a book but as she peered over the cover she could see a mess of dark hair and an expression that looked as though he was either concentrating extremely hard on that book or he was just an extremely severe person. Put off by the fact that she was quite attracted to him, she turned back to the shelves, just as someone approached to buy something.

 “What, what?” He growled in frustration as they caught his attention. Irish, Jamie noted. Intriguing.

 “Very sad book.” She heard him comment as she meandered closer to the exit. There was no way she was going to ask him anything now without becoming a red-faced mess at his feet.

 “And far too many Cathy’s. But it’s good.”

 Jamie felt a slight chill of reproach that she was not named 'Cathy’ if it could be said in such a charming way by that man. Out of curiosity, she lingered as the customer left the shop so she could see the book he had commended. ' _Wuthering Heights_ ’. She looked at the man who had already focused all of his attention back to his book, smiling lightly before leaving the shop, determined to come back the next day. Maybe then she could prepare herself to talk to the handsome man without fainting like one of the characters from that person’s newly purchased book.

* * *

 

 At lunch, Jamie set out to find the bookshop again and as she walked along the street she had followed the other day she felt a sudden panic that she wouldn’t be able to find it again, it was so inconspicuous and she couldn’t even remember the name of it if she did happen to get lost. But in actual fact it was very hard to miss when you were searching for it, it was sandwiched between two other shops, the black paint matching the name of the bookshop which somehow made it stand out against the other two shops which advertised bright, peppy colours in order to draw people in. She peered in as she had done the other day and saw a few people scattered around again and could see the shopkeeper’s bright shirt from the other side of the shop and behind the glass of the door. It didn’t seem very fitting for the man she saw yesterday and her heart sunk a little as she stepped inside and saw that it wasn’t him, it was a rather odd looking gentleman, balding with a bright shirt and sandals to draw even more attention to himself. It was a worst case scenario and she scanned a couple of bookshelves while biting her lip, trying to figure out what to do next. That’s when the odd man stood up, pacing the shop, occasionally picking up or moving a stray book. This was her opportunity.

 “Excuse me.” She said, catching his attention as he strolled by her.

 “Hello. How can I help you?” He smiled innocently back at her, the openness and friendliness of a merchant contrasting the other man who didn’t even seem to want to _serve_ customers.

 “Sorry, this may be a bit weird, but does anyone else work here?” She tried to phrase it as innocently as possible. If things went wrong she could just say she was a cousin. Or an old friend. Probably the second one actually. It would be creepy if she tried to be related.

 “Yeah, Bernard.”

 “I’m sorry to ask you this, but is he… single?” She paused before asking. He seemed a friendly sort of guy who wouldn’t chuck her out of the shop for wasting his time on such a useless question.

 “Why, you want to…?” He didn’t finish his question but she nodded anyway. She didn’t know how far his insinuation went but she nodded.

 “With… Bernard?” He asked in disbelief. “Black hair? Irish? Shouts a lot?”

 She continued to nod.

 “Wow.” He said, rocking back on his heels. “Yeah, yeah. I don’t… know where he is at the moment, but it’s my day off tomorrow which means he has to mind the shop. Come in then.”

 “Thank you.” She breathed gratefully.

 “Ignore his temper.” The man spoke just as she was about to turn and leave the shop. “And his drinking problem. And his language. But apart from that he’s… great.”

 “Okay. Thanks.”

 She left the shop that time with more information than she expected and a plan already formulating on what she should do tomorrow to get the handsome man’s attention.

* * *

 

She stood before the bookshop, her heart hammering and her palms sweating. She’d rehearsed multiple scenarios in her head but she knew that none of them would occur. Just act naturally, she told herself. And try not to turn into a giggling mess on the floor.

 She stepped into the shop nonchalantly, spying the man, Bernard, sitting at the desk with a book in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He didn’t look up.

 She scanned the same bookshelves she’d scanned for the past two days and noticed one missing. A sale, possibly. She scratched her head innocently, her new vantage point allowing her to stare at Bernard while she assessed the situation. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the hand holding the cigarette, biting her lip as she saw how delicately he held the cigarette, how long his fingers were. She internally scolded herself; you can’t make _everything_ sexual, surely. Then she watched him bring the cigarette to his lips and take a drag. She turned back quickly to the bookshelves, trying to even her breath.

 Pinching herself she turned back to Bernard and started strolling towards him, planning to try and accomplish one of the many scenarios she’d planned in her head that night. That’s when he shifted his position on the desk and knocked a stray book off. Perfect.

 She approached him quickly, bending down to pick up the book, carefully placing it back on the desk where it was before. She looked to Bernard and their eyes met briefly before she looked away. He noticed her flitting look, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth and taking the opportunity to tap it off while staring at her evenly.

 “Thank you. You… you couldn’t pick up the others over there, could you?” He said carefully, testing her willingness. She looked back to him, surprised.

 “Sure.” She stumbled, walking over to where he’d gestured and kneeling in order to pick up the scattered books. He leaned back in his chair while watching her bend over, his hand sub-consciously reaching up to his neck, contemplating. It was summer, after all.

 Three hours later, Jamie was still at the bookshop, a pile of books in her lap as she sorted through them. Bernard watched her approvingly as he poured himself a glass of wine.

 “Manny?” He called up. She’d heard him call that a few times and the odd man always appeared so she assumed that it was his name. An odd name for an odd man.

 “What?” He appeared behind Bernard before clocking the woman on the floor. “Is she _still_ here?!”

 He’d been down to the shop several times during the day and at first he was happy that he’d noticed her, at least, but when he came down again a bit later and saw that Bernard was basically just using her as another him on his day off he did go up and tell her she could leave if she wanted.

 “It’s no problem, I don’t have to be anywhere.” She’d gushed. “Plus, I’m getting to know the shop so well.”

 What she didn’t mention was the connection she felt with Bernard and the more time she spent simply in his presence made her feel like she was getting to know him. Every now and then she’d catch him staring and his gaze would flit quickly back to his book while she smiled to herself.

 “It’s practically closing time!” Manny exclaimed, stalking up to the door and pointedly flipping the 'closed’ sign.

 “Hey, hey, it’s your day off.” Bernard told him off, shooing Manny back to his room. He then turned back to Jamie who still had a pile of books on her lap.

 “I… suppose you can go, I guess.” He mumbled, sitting back at the desk. She nodded but looked slightly disheartened and he picked up on that, chewing his lip as he watched her unload her pile back onto the shelf. Then she stood up, dusting herself down, smiling at him before turning towards the door.

 “Wait. Seeing as you did all that work for me, do you want a drink?”

 “Sure.”

 It sounded to her as though he was extremely loathed to ask her but she took the opportunity. Despite having spent so much time with him, she still wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. Did he like her? He sounded as though he wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible but then she’d catch him staring and her hopes would be rekindled.

 He reached underneath his desk and pulled out another wine glass that matched his own, pouring her a glass with practiced ease. She took it, sipping from it before perching on the edge of his desk hesitantly as he didn’t offer her a place to sit. There was a pause as she looked around the bookshop at the day’s handiwork and he stared at her doing so, swilling the wine around his glass.

 “What’s your name?” He asked abruptly and she turned back to him.

 “Good start.” She said, giggling before seeing that he wasn’t taking part in her mirth and sobered slightly. “It’s Jamie.”

There was another pause as she waited for him to ask another question but when he did nothing of the sort she started an internal debate; should she feign innocence and ask him his name or ask something else? What if he’d already talked to Manny about her? She decided not to risk it.

 “And you’re Bernard.” She looked to his confused expression. “Manny told me.”

 “Ah.”

 Just at that moment Manny came downstairs and when he heard his name his ears pricked up, almost barging through the curtains that separated the shop from the kitchen but decided against it last minute, instead opting to peer through the curtains at the two.

 “Tell me… what do you think of me?” He heard Bernard ask her, watching him stand up and meander around the desk to where she was perched. She put down her glass, seeming to think carefully about her answer.

 “Well, you smoke too much for a start. You’re crass. And rude.” She accused him, crossing her arms. He didn’t react, he merely stared at her evenly. So she continued, licking her lips and quickly averting her gaze.

 “But you’re also handsome. That’s… kind of why I came into the shop in the first place.” She blushed, nervously looking back at Bernard who had an indescribable emotion on his face. She was very glad she’d put her glass down because her hands were now shaking.

 He reached forward, placing a hand to her waist and gently pushing her off of the desk while looking into her eyes. He led her towards the central display table, pushing her against it before suddenly thrusting their hips together and she gasped, his body leaning over her own so she bent backwards, her hands scrambling for purchase on the cluttered table and she accidentally scattered a couple of books to the floor.

 He stank of booze and smoke but his motions were surprisingly precise as he wrapped his arm around her waist and he leant down and kissed her harshly. Her eyes rolled back into her head as all of this passion suddenly cascaded down onto her. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest and with his free hand he bumped her up onto the table, pressing them closer together, sending more books flying to the floor. He seemed practiced while she was less so, but they soon settled into a rhythm that suited them both and she was secure enough in her seating arrangement that she could lift her hands from the table and ran them through his mess of hair, pulling his head closer, deepening the kiss.

 He kissed her voraciously until she pushed at his chest. He was reluctant to take the hint but eventually they separated, their foreheads touching as each of them tried to catch their breath. Then he pulled back slightly, allowing her to hop down from the table while looking at him with shortened breath and eyes clouded with lust.

 “I’ll see you tomorrow?” She asked hopefully and he nodded before standing absurdly close to her, slipping a finger under the strap of her dress.

 “Wear less.” He insisted, slipping the strap off of her shoulder. He anxiously waited to see whether the crude insinuation put her off or not. She blushed deeply before nodding also. He smirked slightly, stepping away and allowing her to leave. He lit a cigarette as he watched her walk out of the shop, taking a deep drag before deciding to retire.

 Manny was sure that he would sit back at his desk so he was like a rabbit caught in the headlights when Bernard burst through the curtains, grabbing a bottle of wine before running up the stairs. He did it so quickly that Manny could barely spare a thought on how creepy it looked for him to just be watching his best friend snog a random woman before he ran up the stairs after him.

 “Bernard! Bernard? How did you do that?” He called after him, catching up with Bernard just as he slammed his bedroom door against Manny’s nose. He rapped at the door.

 “Bernard!”

 “What?” Bernard asked irritably, reluctantly opening the door.

 “How did you do that?”

 “What?”

 “You know… just…” Manny made some vague hand gestures to get his point across.

 “The tip is to see whether they pull away or not.” Bernard said unhelpfully. “If they pull away then they don’t like you.”

 Then he shut the door again. Manny was left in the corridor, contemplating on the useless advice and what he’d just seen. He’d never seen Bernard with a _woman_ before, let alone so intimate. Perhaps there _was_ passion in him, deeply buried and hardly ever shown, but there somewhere.

* * *

 

Bernard made it through a record amount of cigarettes the next day, the normally soothing effect lost on him in his anxious state. He was normally a very patient man but the prospect of waiting for someone so vital and not knowing when they’d arrive was unspeakable to him. He paced the shop, looked to the clock constantly. Even jeering at Manny didn’t help. He shut the shop later than he usually did with vain hopes of a particular customer wondering in but when that didn’t happen he settled behind his desk with a glass of wine. And just as his high strung emotions had begun to relax, there was a timid knock at the door and a face attempted to peer into the dim shop window.

 Bernard bolted upright, setting his glass down as he went to unlock the door and let Jamie in.

 “I’m so sorry Bernard, I meant to come earlier-”

 She was cut off by him kissing her abruptly. She lifted her arms slightly in surprise while he raised a hand to her chin before breaking the kiss. That was better than any solemn ‘I missed you’, which is what she was expecting.

 “Are we starting already?” She asked, a little breathlessly, dragging a finger over her lips.

 “You wore a dress.” He commented on a completely unrelated manner and she looked down as if to check. Then he gripped her wrist, dragging her deeper into the shop as she was surprised again by how forceful and direct he was. He stopped in front of his desk, pulling her around and hitching her up onto it. He dragged her hair aside delicately, watching her neck extend as he did so before leaning over and kissing it while his hands travelled up her bare legs, dragging up her calves and under her knees before gripping fiercely onto her thighs, hitching her skirt up even higher in the process. She squirmed under his ministrations, careful not to knock the wine glass that was stranded on the table, untouched, as she tilted back, pulling Bernard with her. His hands crept under her dress to her waist and still pulled higher, dragging the dress up and over her head in a fluid movement.

 She looked lost suddenly as Bernard stood before her looking at her exposed body as goose bumps rose on her flesh. Her hands were itching to cover up every inch of it but that small, approving smile of Bernard’s kept them pinned to her sides. He kissed her again, furiously this time as she wrapped her legs around his waist and could feel his growing erection between her legs. Her eyes widened but she didn’t break the kiss, she instead pulled him closer and wound her arms around his neck tightly. She could feel his hands caressing her back, moving higher and higher until they reached the strap of her bra and without as much fiddling as she was anticipating he had undone it and she could feel her breath go with the snap. She cautiously unwound her arms, allowing him to drag the bra off of her skin. Now she felt even more self-conscious under his stare and she was painfully aware of how he could see her breathing patterns and the colour rising to her cheeks. Feeling a little too exposed, she turned her head from him, biting her lip even though she still refused to cover up. He gently led her face back to his, looking into her eyes earnestly.

 “Fucking beautiful.” He muttered before capturing her lips and kissing her again while his hands palmed her breasts. She kissed him until the heat between her legs became unbearable and she pulled apart from him, gripping his collar firmly.

 “Take me Bernard.” She begged and his eyes were suddenly taken over with lust. He put a hand to her neck and forced her suddenly to lie back on the desk. A smile pulled at her lips as she watched him fumble with his trousers.

 “Wait.” She said abruptly, the magic momentarily gone. “Do you have protection?”

 He looked confused for a moment before digging into his pocket and drawing out a small cellophane packet. She sighed in relief; she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand any more waiting.

 She closed her eyes as he positioned himself at her entrance, feeling his hands grip her waist in anticipation. Her heart hammered in her chest, so loudly she felt even he must be able to hear it. Then a voice.

 “Are you sure?”

Without opening her eyes she muttered 'yes’. He started by entering her slowly while she gasped and her back arched in response. It took all of his reserve not to destroy the beautiful thing writhing beneath him but somehow he managed it and allowed her to become accustomed to him before thrusting deep inside her. She squealed, her fists clenching at her sides as he took her with as much passion as was in the foreplay. She cried out as he thrust deeper and deeper and she could feel her body was close to climax. He could sense it too and pulled her upright, spreading his hands over her waist and kissing her sloppily whilst slamming into her. Her fingers clenched into his already rumpled suit as she came and she drove him over the edge too, both of them clutching one another as they spasmed.

 Then she fell onto her back and he reluctantly withdrew. They were both gasping fitfully. He shuffled as she crossed her arm over her eyes and he buckled his trousers. He passed a hand over his forehead, looking at the young woman curiously, something pulling at his heartstrings as he saw the naked, trusting girl gasping beneath him. He hesitated before slipping an arm under her back and the other under the crooks of her knees, pulling her up and drawing her close into a bridal carry with relative ease.

 “What’re you doing?” She slurred drowsily.

 “Shhhh.” He said distractedly, careful not to jolt her body into any walls in the tight corridors of his apartment. He pushed back the door of his room and set her carefully down onto his bed. He pulled the blanket over her body and she shifted slightly, smiling.

 “Thanks.” She murmured, closing her eyes. He left her for the fifteen minutes that it apparently took to fall asleep and, sure enough, thirteen minutes later she was breathing heavily and when he lay a hand softly on her shoulder she didn’t flinch.

He very gently pulled the hair from her face and felt emotions that he hadn’t felt for years squirming in his stomach. The alcohol and booze generally stopped that kind of thing. He suddenly remembered the untouched wine and ran downstairs, downing it before slamming it back on the table.

 “God, god, god!” He shouted, running his hands through his hair while he paced. Staying in the same place where he’d fucked her wasn’t helping either so he resolved to sleep beside her in his own bed. What could go wrong?

* * *

 

Jamie woke up slowly, taking a few moments to recognise that she wasn’t in her own bedroom. Did she have a one-night stand? Oh no, she remembered Bernard. And their.. encounter.

Speaking of Bernard, she propped herself up on her elbows but could see no-one beside her even though it looked slept in. She’d fallen asleep so quickly last night she didn’t even know if he’d gotten into bed with her afterwards. She sat upright, clutching the blanket to her chest as she realised she was still naked. To her great relief she saw her clothes neatly piled at the end of the bed and she quickly changed, sneaking into the bathroom to freshen up before finally going downstairs. She was expecting him to have the shop open already so was surprised when she saw him in the kitchen still, making himself a cup of tea.

“Morning.” She said, slightly awkwardly considering the circumstances. Then another figure walked past her which turned out to be the odd man, Manny. He sauntered past before doing a dramatic double-take and gawped at her, his mouth stuck open. She shifted under his gaze until Bernard noticed he was making her uncomfortable.

 “You, shoo.” Bernard poked him and Manny jumped like a wild deer back upstairs.

 “Tea?” He asked her abstractedly while reaching for a mug.

 “Yes please.” She said timidly. She couldn’t quite shake the feeling that this was only going to be a one night stand. It certainly wasn’t an unpleasant one, but she felt she’d like to see more of Bernard, really.

 “When did you get up?” She asked casually and she saw him look at her suspiciously out of the corner of his eye.

 “A few minutes before you. Why?”

 “I was just wondering… will I ever see you out of the suit?” She asked playfully, propping herself against a cupboard.

 “Nope. Never.” He responded. She thought he was being deadly serious until he inclined his face towards her and she saw a grin playing about his features. She smiled back and he very slowly turned towards her, laced his fingers through her hair and kissed her firmly while she revelled in the moment.

 The kettle was just boiling as they kissed and it whistled loudly for them to pay attention but they ignored it as best they could. That is, until a female voice came from behind them.

 “Kettle’s boiled.”

 They broke apart quickly, Jamie spinning around to see a young woman with closely cropped brown hair and a bright purple outfit. Please don’t be wife, please don’t be wife. She looked dazed as she looked from Jamie to Bernard and seemed to say the first logical thing she could think of.

 “Where’s Manny?”

 “Upstairs.”

 She vanished upstairs and in a matter of moments Manny and the woman could be heard giggling from upstairs.

 “Who’s that?” Jamie asked.

 “Friend.”

 She let out a gasp of relief.

 “You see, _this_ is why I don’t bring women around. All they do is gossip and giggle like schoolchildren.” Bernard spoke loudly as though he wanted them to hear. “Here’s your tea.”

 “Thanks.” She gripped her mug, following Bernard to where he sat at the table. She stared at the table while he drank slowly, sipping his tea with deliberate caution.

 “So… you haven’t had a woman here for a while?”

 “No.” He answered shortly. “Not for about three years.”

He was referring to the last girlfriend he’d had, his fiancé whom he thought was dead. It was only recently he’d found out she was living on the other side of town. When she’d ‘died’ all he felt was an empty hole where his heart should be, hollowed out but unable to be refilled. Then he found out she wasn’t dead and suddenly the hole was painfully obvious to him and he’d tried to fill it but to no avail. He needed a woman, someone new, even if only for a brief time.

 “Wow. I’m guessing you don’t do _that_ too many women either.” Jamie looked solely at her tea, not daring to look at his face.

 “My room’s next to Manny’s. I didn’t want to disturb him so that seemed like the next best place.”

Logic was the last thing she expected to come from his mouth so when it did she almost automatically came out with something utterly illogical to disregard it.

 “God you were good.”

 “So were you.” He returned the compliment, grinning.

 She had tried to do her investigation but he was giving nothing so, better than ruminating on the subject, she set her finished tea down and stood up.

 “I should be off.”

 “Okay. I’ll open the shop.” He said, standing with her. They went to the front entrance of the shop and he flipped the sign before opening the door for her. They both hesitated.

 “I’d really like to see you again.” Bernard gushed suddenly. She smiled broadly, pleased that all of her suspicions were denied.

 “I’d like that too.”


End file.
